Housing
Houses people can afford
As a parent, I worry about young adults who are working but still can’t afford a place of their own. I want our children to be able to build their lives here, close to the people they love.
Why homes are out of reachCampbell River
I want
what you want.
I raised my family here. I want our children to be able to stay, and all of us to feel safe, get around comfortably and afford the life we’ve made here.
For Campbell River
My priorities.
The household budget
Property taxes
Every increase comes out of a household budget already stretched by groceries, rent or a mortgage. I want dependable City services at a cost people can manage, with careful choices about what we take on.
My approach to property taxesGetting around
Accessibility and transportation
My own aches and injuries have made me appreciate a place to rest along a walk. A bench, a clear crossing and a path that goes where people need it can make a neighbourhood much easier to enjoy.
Making everyday trips easierFeeling safe here
Community safety
I work downtown and have had to go in at night after a break-in at my business. I know how unsettling that is. People deserve to feel safe at work, on a walk and in their neighbourhood.
My community safety priorities
A little about me
Home since 1967.
I grew up in Campbell River, left for school and work, then came back. I worked in banking and financial analysis before becoming a lawyer.
I like gardening, fixing things and finding a use for a thrift-store bargain. A neighbour calls me “MacGyver.” Fraser makes sure there’s time for a walk.
More about my life hereHousing in Campbell River
Prices rose faster than incomes.
That leaves less of the household budget for everything else. Here is how the two changed over twenty years.
Average home price+293%
$136,787 → $537,494
Average household income+74%
$52,800 → $92,100 a year, before tax
Home prices are annual single-family sales averages. Income is the household average before tax. This is a historical comparison, not a mortgage affordability calculation.
Read the figures and sources
The bars use the same zero baseline and percentage scale. Prices cover VIREB's Campbell River sales area; incomes cover households inside the city. Those boundaries differ. All amounts are nominal dollars, with no inflation adjustment.
2020 is the latest household-income year used here, from the 2021 Census. We have not invented a newer income figure. Average annual sale prices subsequently reached $744,314 in 2025, but that later price is not compared with 2020 income.
Detailed housing sources and methodologySee the five-year observations
We also need enough homes. Building has to keep up with new households and the shortage we already have.
Watch how the gap changesAre we closing the gap?
Illustration. Building totals are examples.
The starting point
We begin with a shortage.
In 2021, the report estimates a shortage of 1,791 homes. Zero means no additional homes counted yet, not no homes in the city.
- Homes needed
- 1,791 Starting shortage + growth
- Homes added
- 0 Since 2021 · example
1,791homes still needed
The shortage we start with
2021 to 2026 · 30 seconds
We begin with a shortage. January 2021 illustration: 0 example homes added since 2021, 1,791 total homes needed, 1,791 still needed. In 2021, the report estimates a shortage of 1,791 homes. Zero means no additional homes counted yet, not no homes in the city.
Where the numbers come fromA home makes so much else possible.
Through my work with the Campbell River Head Injury Support Society, I’ve seen how much a suitable home matters. I want the City to help housing providers and builders get good projects built, while looking carefully at the requirements that add to the bill.
More about housing and what the City can doOn Council
A little of my work on Council.
Grants to local organizationsI moved to restore the funding.
When the grants under a new policy came back to Council, one organization had been treated unfairly. I moved to restore its funding and asked for more work on the policy.
How I weigh a decisionTransportation planningI walked the proposed routes.
When I reviewed the Master Transportation Plan, I walked the proposed bike lanes, sidewalks and paths. I spoke with people using them and looked for the routes people were already taking.
My priorities for getting aroundAirport managementI changed my mind.
After years with the Airport Authority, I was skeptical about bringing airport management in-house. I gave it a chance. The progress staff made changed my view.
More about my work on CouncilI start with proportionality.
What good are we doing, for whom, and at what relative cost?
How I work on Council
Out on the water.
I want us to protect our woods, streams and wildlife, and make room for the homes people need.
Talk with me.
If housing costs, a City service or something in your neighbourhood needs attention, I’d like to hear about it.